<p>Sozc…may be but there’s no reason to do so on the tour…she came off sounding like a jackass.</p>
<p>I have to second the DePaul info session - two (three?) years later, it still stands out in my mind. The tour guide we had was perfect. </p>
<p>Their accepted students weekend was also superb: informative without being trite, also very focused on the Vincentian ideals. The professors on hand were enthusiastic, personable, etc. Now obviously, they’re going to hide Dr. Grumpy and Prof. Jerk, but still…</p>
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<p>OTOH, our Mt Holyoke tour guide was very well put together - she had a cute t-shirt / sweater combo and a handkerchief style skirt and boots, was made up, etc. – she was darling and articulate and well-spoken and clearly a campus leader based on the activities she described (she was running for president, was involved with several high-level organizations representing MH at the national level, etc.). My D was so distracted by her skirt – she just didn’t like it at all. (It wasn’t my taste, but it was absolutely nothing wrong with it.) I have had to work to get her past the skirt! “OK, forget the skirt. Is this the kind of person you could see yourself living with, being friends with?” LOL.</p>
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<p>At Pomona, a parent asked about job placement services. Sure, it’s on the website, but I can understand wanting to hear more from a live person. </p>
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<p>Similar at Pitzer, where the info session guy talked about the school’s philosophical underpinnings (intercultural, interdisciplinary, social action), and said it wasn’t for everyone. Two families got up and walked out. </p>
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I grade tour guides based on how many times they use the word “like” inappropriately. So far, the winners have been Bryn Mawr, Pomona, and Pitzer, with Clark a close second. :)</p>
<p>Within the past couple of weeks, my S and I were at an admitted students visiting day at Rice. The parents and students were split up for a portion of the day, and I promised my son that I would write down the stupidest question asked by a parent. </p>
<p>I thought we were going to make it through an hour and a half with no clear winner, but then…the head of campus security had just finished his presentation, including a discussion of alcohol on campus and that they aren’t out to arrest anyone, and just want to be sure that the kids are safe. A mom raises her hand and asks, with incredulity, “How do the kids get alcohol???” About 200 other parents burst out laughing.</p>
<p>We did go to an info session at Swarthmore College many years ago which sounded different than all the others. I kicked my DH and said, “They’re describing S#1.”</p>
<p>The part of the info session / tour part that I HATE is when the info session comes before the tour, they have (say) half a dozen students who all come up and introduce themselves with names, major, where from, and then they tell everyone to divide up and go on the tour with the student whose area of interest is most relevant. </p>
<p>Maybe it’s shades of being-picked-for-teams-in-gym-class, but I always feel sorry for the students standing there and being “selected” like that – what if no one picks a certain student? Especially when one student is clearly better-looking than the others, or another student has a heavy accent and no one wants to flock to him or her.<br>
I wish they did it another way, such as dividing the room up into quadrants or by last names.</p>
<p>Serious/angry question, by a distinguished medical doctor/mom upon learning that next year’s freshman would be triple-housed in double dorm rooms: “What if someone sneezes on my son?!”</p>
<p>Slightly differnt topic but…why do college dorms have to suck so much? Seriously, don’t the schools realize that the students will perform better if they are not housed in disgustingly decrepit conditions? Any dorm built in the past 20 years that does not have all single rooms is an absurdity. And what’s the deal with no air conditioning?</p>
<p>@Objective: They don’t all suck.
Check out the dorms at WashU. They are very, very nice. (and all have AC).</p>
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I think it would be clever for the school to plant some people in the audience to do this.</p>
<p>^:D Now THAT’S clever!</p>
<p>Schools could take this further and use plants to ask provocative questions.</p>
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<p>Little need in some parts of the country. Nothing that a window fan can’t handle for a few months.</p>
<p>Single rooms so all these precious angels can continue to be self-involved and unable to share or compromise? No thank you.</p>
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<p>Wow! I thought we were talking about college here. Something about opening the mind to new experiences, learning, etc…</p>
<p>“What, besides academics, is considered in acceptance to the honor’s program?”</p>
<p>I kid you not. The info session leader was flabbergasted for a second. “Um…nothing?”</p>
<p>I found a LOT of the parents at info sessions for higher-tier universitys extremely grating. Very “MY kid is the special one in this room.”</p>
<p>P.S. I would HATE to live in a single room, just for the record.</p>
<p>Superorange–some colleges (Iowa State, for example) do consider factors besides academics. Not a stupid question at all, unless it’s easily answered from the website.</p>
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D2’s school wanted special essays and recommended extra testing.</p>
<p>D1’s school wanted leadership.</p>
<p>Should’ve clarified. She had just went over all the requirements for the honor’s program, which was just “good SAT/ACT scores and a good GPA and good academic involvement.” She had stressed those requirements over and over, and made it clear that was the only requirement.</p>
<p>The parent basically asked it in that smarmy “I know you’re not telling me the truth” weird way. This parent was also mumbling something about race when I passed him on my way out. >.<</p>
<p>That’s what I get for rushing a post during class. ;)</p>
<p>i was in an info session with my parents at emmanuel in boston and a mother asked if students get discounts on red sox tickets. my parents and i thought it was so weird!</p>
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<p>Right, so then visitors should ask NO questions? Because all the info session-type information is always on the website. They are almost completely redundant.</p>